Urgent Care :: help - upside down turtle

[tarton]

I just found one of our turtles upside down. He is limp and not really moving. I do not even know what happened. We are fairly new to the turtle thing and I am not sure what to do for him. He was not in the water when I found him. Any ideas???

[SpotsMama]

Oh my. You say he wasn't in water - could he have overheated under a warm light? If a turtle falls on his back and can't flip himself over, I think they have trouble breathing and can overheat.

Are there any electrical items that could have shocked him? Like a broken water heater or light bulb, for instance.

Because turtles' metabolisms are slow, they can appear to be almost dead and then recover. Don't give up on him - just keep him warm (but not hot) and quiet and see what happens. If you think he's overheated, dip him in some tepid water to cool him off, but don't leave him where he could drown if he's having trouble moving.

Here's some info on various health conditions. Perhaps you'll find something helpful here:

http://www.redearslider.com/index_health.html

Good luck. Keep us posted as to how he does.

[tarton]

I am sad to say that after taking our turtle, Christina to the vet, she has died.

[Just Jule]

Sorry to hear your little one has lost it's fight. What did the vet say? Did they have any idea what happened? How is your other one?

[marisa]

I'm very sorry to hear the news.

Had your turtle been ill prior to finding him on his back?